<div>Behind the Maison&rsquo;s horological wonders, at the intersection of technical prowess and dreamlike aesthetics, lie the power and effort to bring its poetic vision to life.</div>

For Van Cleef &amp; Arpels, the creative process of every watch creation is kick-started with intention, before it is materialised through a gouache and developed in-house to bring it to life with traditional know-how and innovations. Defined by the seamless fusion of its core pillars &mdash; the Art of Complications, M&eacute;tiers d&rsquo;Art, and Jewellery Expertise &mdash; the Maison&rsquo;s horological wonders are the fruit of a concerted collaboration. Movement experts, watchmakers and master craftsmen unite to blend technical mastery with boundless creativity, all in the singular pursuit of wonder.<o:p></o:p>

Specific mechanisms and innovative complications are designed and assembled in-house at the Maison&rsquo;s Watchmaking Workshops in Geneva, not for technical vanity, but to serve the story behind each watch and bring its distinctive poetic vision to life. Special retrograde displays, rotating disc movements and planetarium modules are developed to imbue a playful dimension to time measurement, coupled with on-demand animations to replay at will the scenes depicted on the dials.<o:p></o:p>

With a mission to preserve heritage, the &ldquo;Golden Hands&rdquo; of the Maison&rsquo;s M&eacute;tiers d&rsquo;Art team, include enamellers, engravers, lapidaries and stone-setters, who foster both traditional and innovative techniques to realise the visual aesthetics of its watchmaking wonders. Steeped in the support and transmission of m&eacute;tiers d&rsquo;art, the Maison has congregated in Geneva master craftsmen of more than 15 different techniques in the savoir-faire behind the arts of enamel, miniature painting, engraving and sculpture, deployed to paint landscapes, sculpt figures and capture light that adorns a dial and breathes life into a story. Enamelling, from traditional grisaille to the patented fa&ccedil;onn&eacute; enamel is treasured to achieve the sculpted 3D enamel, used in the Perl&eacute;e Fruits Enchant&eacute;s.<o:p></o:p>

Since its Place Vend&ocirc;me beginnings, Van Cleef &amp; Arpels has established its High Jewellery savoir-faire. This jewellery expertise is particularly expressed through goldwork and stone setting, where the rigorous selection of gems and rare materials by the Stones Department is employed to perfect the expression of pairings, monochromatic ensembles, cameos and even colourful compositions, like the pink-to-blue gradation on the Pont des Amoureux bracelets, which conjure specific times of day.<o:p></o:p>

The pinnacle of the Maison&rsquo;s Art Mechanics philosophy is seen in the growing trove of its Extraordinary Objects collection of exceptional creations and automatons, perpetuating the tradition of clocks and tabletop objects crafted by the Maison since 1906. Developed in partnership with automaton maker Fran&ccedil;ois Junod, the Maison unveiled the F&eacute;e Ondine automaton in 2017, fusing art mechanics, jewellery tradition and watchmaking expertise. Its recent Plan&eacute;tarium Automaton uses 11 modules and a 15-bell chime to create a crystalline melody, transforming a clock into a theatrical performance.<o:p></o:p>

Ultimately, the Maison&rsquo;s watchmaking creations meet at the convergence of collaboration and creativity, combining technical prowess, precious materials and m&eacute;tiers d&rsquo;art that encompass the wealth of its savoir-faire found in its studios and workshops in Paris and Geneva. Beyond making watches, Van Cleef &amp; Arpels creates mechanical poetry, orchestrating a symphony that uses the art of complications and mechanics to showcase the wonder of time and movement on one hand, and on the other, m&eacute;tiers d&rsquo;art and jewellery expertise to perfect the beauty of form that transforms every moment into an enchanting story and invitation to dream.<o:p></o:p>

<h4 style="text-align: center;">Discover Poetry of Time by Van Cleef &amp; Arpels <a href="https://www.vancleefarpels.com/hk/en/the-maison/exhibitions/poetry-of-time-hong-kong.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.</h4>

Poetry of Time: The savoir-faire of Van Cleef & Arpels

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